


Ballad of the Legendary Hero

by saltylikecrait



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Alternate Universe - Video Game World, Dungeon, F/M, Ghosts, Horses, Kings & Queens, Legend of Zelda AU, Magic, Monsters, Swords
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-25
Updated: 2019-10-25
Packaged: 2020-11-22 11:51:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,671
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20873765
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/saltylikecrait/pseuds/saltylikecrait
Summary: The Hero Chosen by the Goddesses awakens and descends into the darkness to bring light back to Alderaan.





	Ballad of the Legendary Hero

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Pan_2000](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Pan_2000/gifts).

> Happy Finnrey Friday!

Rey paced back and forth along the black and white tile of the flooring, glancing at the staircase every couple of minutes with worry. She had been waiting for hours while Finn was completing the Hero’s Trials, but she respected his wishes when he told her he needed to do this alone. The point of the trials was to test the skills of every potential hero because according to the legends, only the Spirit of the Hero could complete them and remove the legendary sword from its pedestal. Rey might not have been someone to ever believe in fairy tales, but she knew when to respect sacred ground. 

Besides, she reminded herself, Finn wasn’t alone exactly. He had Beebee, the strange little machine that Commander Poe Dameron had lent them, and Rey held the comm link to Beebee. If Finn ran into any problems, he could talk to her through the robot and she could run in to help if he needed her.

They were a strange pair. A soldier from the army of Kylo Ren, the enemy of the Kingdom of Alderaan, and a girl from the sands of Jakku who survived by repairing the machinery of travelers. She would have never bet in a million years that she would leave her home in the west, hoping that one day the family that left her there would return, let alone be one of the two people that the Kingdom of Alderaan placed all its hopes on.

Finn never liked to think of himself as a hero, but if he succeeded and could retrieve the sword, there would be no doubt that he was the hero in the legends, back to aid Alderaan in its hour of need. 

She fell asleep at some point leaning up against a pillar while telling herself the legend of the Hero and dreaming of Finn in his place.

The sound of echoing footsteps woke her up, though she had no idea how long she had been sleeping. Looking up, she saw Finn approaching her, sword sheathed against his back. Behind him, the little round machine called Beebee ran his motors to keep up. The machine-thing only stood to height just below Rey’s knees and he could be a quick when he wanted to be. Commander Dameron was a genius to create such an invention. Beebee even had a sort of personality, but neither of them could understand the series of beeps it used as a language. Most of their interactions with the creation involved a lot of guesswork.

“Nice getup,” she laughed, pointing at Finn’s new garb consisting of a green tunic, chain mail, and a ridiculous floppy hat to match.

“A blessing of the goddesses.” Finn folded his arms together, looking down at her. “Show some respect for the Hero.”

Rey beamed excitedly. “So you got it?” She tried to see the hilt of the sword stick out from behind him.

“Yep.” Finn grinned as he unsheathed it and presented it to her. 

The legendary Master Sword, the Blade of Evil’s Bane. No one alive had seen it before, but she had seen ancient drawings of the blade. A normal sword would have rusted after centuries of going unused and uncared for, but the Master Sword almost seemed to glow, the blade shining like the goddesses themselves had forged it.

In her arms, the sword seemed to glow just for her, almost as if it were greeting an old friend. Rey looked at it curiously and wondered to herself why the energy from the sword seemed so warm and familiar to her. Perhaps, it was just her nostalgia for the old and ancient. Her magic would never be as strong as the magic of this blade.

“And now we put a stop to Kylo Ren,” Finn announced.

She laughed. “We know it’s not that easy.”

“Okay,” Finn corrected, “now we go find the map to help us put an end to Kylo Ren.”

Speaking of which, that gave Rey an idea, and she reached for her pack to unfold her old and tattered map of the world. She scanned it over, noting that they were only about a day from the Resistance camp, which was close to the Takodana forest, the rumored location of the Temple of Stars. They didn’t have a lot of clues to where Skywalker’s map might be, but there were stories of him visiting the three great temples of the goddesses before he came here, the Temple of Time, and vanished. It seemed as good of a place to look as any.

“Let’s see,” she hummed. “We’re a few hours from the Resistance. If we leave now…”

“Can’t I take a break to rest?” Finn asked. “I just completed the _Hero’s Trials_ and defeated a _magic statue.”_

“Knowing you, it was probably just a normal statue…”

Finn huffed.

* * *

They walked out the doors to the front entrance of the temple. “You can rest on the ride,” Rey offered. “Falcon and I get along just fine. You can lean against me.”

Beaming, Finn nodded. He didn’t want to sound like a creep, but he found that he was growing very attached to Rey and the thought of leaning up against her sounded like a dream come true. Especially if it meant that he didn’t have to do much with that old nag. Han Solo’s gray steed might have once been a beauty in her youth, but like her owner, she was now cranky on the best of days and lame on her worst. She could also use a bath because each time Finn patted her, his hands came away covered in dust and dirt. But of course, Rey, ever the equine enthusiast, adored Falcon.

The mare was right where they left her, dozing in the overgrown grass. They had to take more frequent breaks for her in their riding, but so far, this hadn’t been much of a problem. Han would have their heads if they didn’t return old Falcon in one piece.

Rey stroked her neck lovingly. “You up to go back to the queen?” she asked the mare. Finn would have never guessed that the Queen of Alderaan would have married a guy like Han Solo or that Falcon belonged to a man that was part of the Royal Family, but he supposed that Han had been a nice enough. Surely Queen Leia had seen a diamond in the rough when she met the smuggler in his youth.

Helping Rey, Finn situated Beebee into the netting over the side of Falcon's saddle. Then, he mounted the horse, waiting for Rey to shimmy up behind him and take the reins herself.

“Ready?” Rey asked, waiting for Finn’s answer.

“Ready.”

“Falcon,” she commanded, “forward.”

She began to walk briskly down the street, surprisingly springy for such an old horse. Finn caught the curious gazes of a few townsfolk, but he paid them no mind, guessing that they probably were wondering what exactly Beebee was and why he was being toted on horseback.

The fields outside of the town walls were rolling and gentle, green and lush with grass. It wasn’t a difficult ride unless you were in a hurry. 

Letting him rest for half the day, Rey eventually asked him to take the reins as evening drew near. He had fallen asleep about an hour into the ride and Rey took care of him so he would not fall off. Now, he would return the favor. Night in the fields could be dangerous, cursed creatures sometimes roamed around, looking for unsuspecting travelers to harm. He guessed they were only about an hour or two to the forest, but he needed to make sure they kept moving to avoid being out after the sun went down.

He let out a sigh of relief when he saw the beginnings of the forest. Curiously, an owl perched on a tree branch at the area’s edge, as if he were keeping watch over the field. He regarded Finn and his companions with large, unblinking eyes. 

“Guess the forest is letting us know we’re back,” Finn said to the horse.

Falcon kept walking forward, paying her rider no mind.

They walked through the trees, heavily dotting the area and providing cover and shade to the travelers. Finn kept his eye out for any sign of a scouting party, knowing the Resistance was nearby and always on their guard for the First Order.

Rey groaned and groggily looked around. “Almost there?”

“Think so.”

It was always possible the Resistance moved camp if they were worried about being discovered by the wrong people. If that happened, Finn wasn’t sure how to find them again. He glanced at Beebee and wondered if the little robot had some sort of communication set up with Poe.

But luckily for them, the Resistance was not far and the very person he was thinking about was leading the group.

“Finn! Rey!” Captain Dameron shouted. “You’re back!” 

In the netting, Beebee wobbled excitedly, beeping at his master.

“Beebee! Good to see you, buddy!”

Dismounting Falcon, Finn held his hand out to help Rey down before they worked together to get Beebee untethered. Once free, the robot rolled over to Poe and circled his ankles before waiting expectantly for Poe to pat him on the dome. It was odd to see a robot act like a dog, but Finn wasn’t sure how robots were supposed to behave anyway.

“He’s been a big help to us,” said Rey. “Thanks for letting us borrow him.”

“Anytime.” Poe smiled, then he faltered when he caught eye of the sword at Finn’s back. “Is that-?”

“Hmm?” Finn turned around, trying to figure out what Poe was talking about. “What?”

“That’s the Master Sword,” Poe gasped. “Right?” He looked back and forth between Finn and Rey for clarification.

Finn was too humble to say anything, so Rey answered for him. “Finn went through the Hero’s Trials alone and removed the sword from its pedestal.”

* * *

Rey was the one that told the story to the group of Resistance soldiers sitting around the campfire. Finn sat in silence and only added the details of the trials in because he and Beebee were the only ones that knew what actually had happened there.

The Resistance looked at him with hero-worship and Rey knew this made poor Finn uncomfortable. It must feel odd and lonely to be thought as the Hero of Legend, she realized. A couple of weeks ago, Finn was a foot soldier in the First Order, now here he was, the hope of the Resistance. She knew that some of the soldiers still didn’t trust him, but Rey knew Finn now. He was a far better man than anyone she had ever met and deserving of the Master Sword.

“So you’re going to find Skywalker?” one of the soldiers – a woman called Rose – asked as she looked upon Finn and Rey with a sense of hero-worship in her eyes.

He shrugged. “That’s the idea, at least. We’re not sure what else to try.”

“We’re thinking about investigating the Star Temple,” Rey added. “We thought maybe Skywalker left the map in one of the sacred temples in Alderaan.”

Poe hummed in thought. “Her Majesty might have an idea,” he mused. 

It was decided that at sunup, Poe would escort Finn and Rey to the main camp where the queen operated in secret. She might be back at the castle, but she always made the ride each week to check on things. 

Before she curled up into her bedroll and fell asleep, Rey spotted Finn still sitting up against a downed log near the campfire. He held the Master Sword in his hands, careful inspecting the blade with a mysterious expression on his face.

* * *

True to his word, Poe led the two travelers to the main campsite when the sun began to light up the sky. It wasn’t a far ride, but the forest could be treacherous and it was full of monsters that lurked behind every corner.

“Those weren’t here the last time,” Rey observed, her lips tense with worry.

“It’s funny you mentioned the Star Temple,” Poe told them. “A few days ago, we spotted a group of these… _creatures_ swarming the area like they were looking for something. We followed them and found that the bulk of them went into the temple.”

“Really?” Finn looked bewildered.

“I don’t think it’s a coincidence that they went to the same place you were going to look for a map to Skywalker.”

Well, it made as much sense as anything. Finn knew from experience that wherever Kylo went, those strange creatures went too. He often wondered why it was necessary to command an army of humans when the monsters seemed a lot stronger and numerous. They also didn’t question their orders, like some of the soldiers did from time to time, hence why Finn was now traveling with the Resistance and not still in the First Order.

If the monsters were in the temple, that meant that there was something Kylo was looking for. He wasn’t the kind of guy that took old relics over sentimental value.

It was settled then, Finn decided. That was where he would start looking. And if he was wrong, that at least meant that Kylo also was.

Falcon stopped in her tracks on the ride, along with Poe’s stallion Black. A very uncreative name for a black horse, but it suited him all the same. The horses sniffed the air, their legs grounded to the dirt beneath their hoofs in fear.

“What’s wrong?” Rey asked Falcon as she patted her neck.

Poe dismounted and reached for his sword. “Trouble,” he explained.

Finn and Rey followed his lead, their weapons drawn as they looked around for intruders. In the distance, they saw a shadow of something in the bushes, rattling as they drew closer. Finn held his breath.

A single creature popped its head out of the brush. Red and boar-like, it seemed to have some intelligence, but nowhere near a human’s. As if excited to see them, it grinned widely and jumped up and down, waving the club it held in its hand over its head.

The pair glanced at each other curiously, but Poe warned them, “Here they come.”

Behind the first creature came a small army of more similar creatures. There were the stocky red ones, purple ones with slender snouts, gray ones with bows at their side. Finn wasn’t sure how many of them there were since he was certain that more were hiding in the forest.

He drew the Master Sword from its sheath and readied himself.

The leading monster glanced at him warily, then, as if suddenly realizing what Finn was gripping, he called out to his allies. Their attention snapped to Finn and with a battle cry, they charged at him.

“Goddesses,” he swore as he tried fighting them off. The Master Sword was a far more powerful weapon than he had ever held, it’s magic flowing through it. The creatures tried their best to keep away from the blade, but when they were struck, they fell to the ground and vanished into a puff of black smoke.

Poe looked over at Rey and Poe and found that they were struggling. Their weapons hit the monsters and Finn knew that both of his friends were formidable fighters, but the creatures did not vanish like they had when Finn struck them down. Instead, they wobbled and screeched in pain where they were hit, but always ready to keep fighting.

That must mean the Master Sword was the only weapon that could defeat them, Finn figured.

“Hang on, you two!” he called out as he ran to their side. The three of them quickly figured out a strategy that worked for them. Poe and Rey kept the creatures away from Finn by fighting them off, and Finn made his way through the group to take each monster down.

By the time the last monster fell, all three of them were panting and exhausted. Rey slid to the ground to rest while Poe leaned up against a tree and tried to calm Beebee from the excitement.

“We’re okay, buddy,” he promised, soothingly. “Look. Finn can make the monsters disappear.”

The robot beeped nervously before he gazed at Finn, tilting the dome of his head at an angle on his body. With a hoot, the droid almost seemed to sigh in relief.

“So Finn is the only one that can defeat the monsters,” Rey deducted. “I wonder if my magic can do some damage…”

“Don’t tire yourself out,” Finn pleaded. Rey’s magic was a sight to behold, but he had already seen how it drained her of energy, leaving her half-asleep if she used too much in too short of a time. Magic was a great thing, but not always the best plan to fight with.

“I feel useless,” she admitted. “My quarterstaff just bruised them.”

“I’m even more useless,” retorted Poe. “You at least have magic.”

Finn heaved a large sigh. “It’s not a contest.”

With no trace left of the hoard that just attacked them, the trio mounted their horses again and continued on their way.

* * *

As full as the campsite looked, judging by the number of small, individual tents pitched near larger canvas ones that seemed to be core operations locations, it was eerily quiet. They only passed by a few people who were working on domestic chores like cooking or repairing and making weapons for the soldiers.

“Those monsters showed up yesterday and Her Majesty sent us all out to scout and protect the camp," Poe explained. "The ones here man the stalls and operations.”

“Is the queen here?” Rey asked as she looked around.

Poe shrugged. “She was here yesterday, but if she sensed trouble, she might have gone back to Castle Town.”

The pair looked disappointed because they really needed to talk to the queen. She would know if the monsters were linked to her brother’s disappearance or if they would be searching for him too. 

They approached the tent in the center of the camp where the queen usually held briefings. Peering inside the flap, they were relieved to find her sitting at a table with two of her commanders, Admiral Ackbar of the aquatic Mon Calamari tribe from the western provinces and Vice Admiral Holdo, an old friend of the queen's with an odd sense of fashion. Finn was certain purple hair wasn't naturally occurring, so he was a little curious to know how she got it such as vibrant shade.

“Why the long faces?” the queen asked. “Did you lose anyone?” She looked between the three, concerned. 

Immediately, their faces brightened. “Your Majesty,” Poe sighed before bowing. Finn and Rey followed his lead.

Upon seeing the sword at Finn’s back, Admiral Ackbar's amphibious mouth nearly dropped. “This is-" he began, approaching the young man to get a better look. 

“It is.” Poe grinned proudly. “Finn here’s the real deal.”

“A big deal,” laughed Rey.

Yet, Finn looked wistful. “I’m not a hero,” he said.

“Not yet you aren’t,” Leia agreed. She looked Finn up and down with a smile. “You wear the clothes of the Hero, but you haven’t quite earned that title. There’s no doubt you are brave; no one will dispute that after you left the First Order. But tell me Finn: are you ready to face the darkness?”

“That’s actually why I’m here, Your Majesty.” Finn looked at her straight in the eyes, daringly. “Those monsters are going to the Star Temple; that’s where Rey and I think the map to your brother is hidden.”

Nodding, Leia agreed. “That was the last place I saw him, though he visited the other two temples on the continent.”

“We think the map is there,” confessed Finn, “and now that we know that Kylo’s sent monsters there, we’re positive that it’s a good lead.”

At mention of the name, General Organa’s face fell into some conflicted emotion. Finn wasn’t sure what to call it or how to explain it, but it was a mix of pain, sorrow, and dare he say… hope?

“Stay the night,” Leia offered Finn and Rey. “Eat up, get potions and fairies, if you need them. Then go to the temple in the morning.”

Poe went wide in the eyes. "It's dangerous to go alone!" he exclaimed. "Take Beebee with you.

The little robot wobbled on its round base with excitement.

“What if we’re too late?” Rey squeaked.

The queen laughed. “From what I’ve observed,” she comforted them, “those creatures aren’t smart enough to get through the temple. No, only someone with magic or the Master Sword could get to what my brother went there for. I know him well enough to believe that.”

It came a little as a relief to Finn to hear this, but he wondered what exactly was in the temple and what Skywalker might have used to protect whatever he sought there to begin with. Rey was planning on going with him, which was a relief, but she couldn’t rely on her magic for everything and that could pose to be a problem. Sure, she could beat the monsters senseless with her quarterstaff, but without the Master Sword, they would not vanish. She would have to rely on Finn to an extent to protect her.

And he knew she would hate that.

The very first time he caught a glimpse of Rey was near her repair stall in the backwater town of Niima, a short distance away from where Finn abandoned his post with the First Order and decided never to return. He watched in half-awe of her as she beat off a group of thugs that took an interest in Beebee – Poe had left him there to hide after his capture by Kylo Ren. For someone as lithe and slender as Rey, Finn would have never guessed that she was as strong as she was. Her strength was a testament to her rough upbringing in the country of Jakku.

Then, she swept him off his feet – both literally and figuratively – with her quarterstaff, believing that he was another thug wanting to take Beebee for himself.

Quickly, Finn felt himself being drawn to her once they sorted out their scuttle. There was just something utterly amazing about her, but he couldn’t quite put his finger on it. He was thankful she was on his side, anyway. He would have never escaped the First Order if it wasn’t for her and her magic.

He would never admit it to her but he thought she was very-

“Where’s my girl? Falcon!”

The queen’s husband – and that’s all he went by, no title, thank you very much – exited the central tent and looked around the area. Behind him, the strange brown, hairy creature known as Chewbacca followed. No one knew what exactly Chewbacca was, but it didn’t matter to Han. He met his friend decades ago when both were far from home and had been inseparable ever since. Spotting Finn and Rey, they approached them.

“You two had better taken good care of my horse,” Han growled. “Where is she?”

Rey pointed to the nearest water trough. “Over there. She’s a wonder.”

“Girl’s never let me down.” Han smiled and went over to his horse, patting her affectionately on her fuzzy neck. Gently, he looked her over, making sure there were no scrapes or cuts that weren’t there before. “I think you like the kids, huh?” he asked her.

Falcon snorted like she was agreeing with him.

“That’s my girl, and I think you took good care of them.”

From a distance, Finn could see a slight smile on Rey’s face. He wondered if she wanted a horse of her own; she seemed to have a natural talent with taking care of them. She had said that horses weren’t common in Jakku, the people preferring boars for their hardiness and tough skin over the more delicate structures of horses.

They passed a ranch on the way back to the forest, he thought. Maybe they could check it out later to see if it was something she could afford if she decided not to go back to Jakku. For a reason he couldn’t explain, Finn really wanted to convince Rey to stay in Alderaan when all this was over, yet he knew he couldn’t force her to. She kept insisting that her parents would return for her and maybe it was true, but Finn had a feeling that Rey knew they weren’t coming back after so many years away – he thought it was possible that they died – and that Rey was just sticking around because then she could keep holding onto that hope and not have to find out anything she’d rather not know.

…He really hoped she would stay. Finn would hate to have to follow her back to that junkyard. Too much sand for his liking and the locals were hostile, even the ones who were nice.

Wait, why was he making plans about this? He wasn’t sure if Rey would want him to stick around after they completed what they set out to do. Maybe Rey would want to learn more about magic with Skywalker. Finn didn’t have a magical bone in his body to even try.

Han said something to Rey before he looked over at Finn and winked at him. “Good job, Big Deal.”

Finn felt his eyes grow wide at the nickname.

* * *

The location to the Star Temple, it turned out, was deep in the forest. Marked as a shrine to the heavens with a well that symbolized healing, most onlookers would have thought it was just that. There were etchings of constellations throughout the shrine walls and carvings depicting heroes of the past; more than enough to catch anyone’s attention and occupy their thoughts.

What they would find, if they looked more closely, was the well had gone dry, likely from years of a lack of use. If anyone looked down into the blackness, they would see that the fall downwards was long and seemingly never-ending, but if they glanced to the side of the well, they’d see a trail of steel bars leading into the dark.

“This looks sketchy,” observed Rey. Beebee beeped in agreement

“Yeah, but do you think we have any choice but the ladder?” Finn asked. “We don’t have a long enough rope to get down.”

“You could always jump in first and break my fall,” she said with a grin. “Maybe we’ll get lucky and there will still be water at the bottom.”

Pouting, he teased back, “But I’m the Hero. Aren’t you supposed to be protecting me?”

Rey rolled her eyes back before looking down again. She moved over to where the ladder was. “Right,” she said. “Well, Hero, since I’m supposed to be protecting you, I’ll go first. No different from scavenging the ruins in the Graveyard. Easier, actually,” she referred to an area in Jakku full of old ruins from a civilization lost to time and sand. That was where she found a lot of the scrap she traded in Niima. She pulled the netting she was using to tote Beebee around and handed it to Finn, who slung it over his shoulder.

Watching her as she swung a leg over the old stonework, Finn was impressed as she tapped her foot against the first bar a few times before sinking half her weight onto it. Seeing that it wasn’t about to collapse under her, Rey boldly swung her other leg over and onto ladder. She repeated this routine as she went down each step, making sure she wasn’t going to fall.

When she had gotten a couple of feet down the well, Finn scrambled in after her, but had to be careful with the added weight of the robot. “If you think the ladder is getting dangerous,” he called, “let me know. I’ll climb back up.”

“Sounds good.”

They carefully descended into the darkness, not sure what they would find at the bottom. They couldn’t hear anything, but they bet that whatever the temple was hiding, it was deeper into the cave’s underground. They hadn’t come across any monsters yet, thankfully, but unless Kylo found what he came here for, it was certain that they were lurking inside.

At the bottom, they were met with water. It wasn’t deep, just enough to cover their ankles, but it reminded them this was a well and the temple might have deeper water as they ventured forth.

“Can you swim?” Finn asked Rey as he thought about how scarce water was in Jakku.

She shook her head. “Where would I have learned?” she wondered out loud, half-laughing. “Quicksand?”

“We’ll figure out something if we come across deep water, then.”

It made him nervous to think he might have to leave Rey behind if the water was too deep for her. Already, she had gotten him out of a few tight spots thanks to her magic and he didn’t want to leave her alone in a place that might be full of monsters.

They luckily had glow rods with them – magical, thin lanterns that Queen Leia gifted them with before they left – and this helped them see what was in front of them. The bottom of the well was wide, but the only way forward was through another dark tunnel that was blocked by a grate.

Finn and Rey glanced at each other, frowning. 

“Now what?” Finn asked.

Rey looked around. “Are we sure this is right?”

“Has to be. This is where the map says the temple is.”

A sigh huffed past Rey’s lips. “I hope this isn’t just a normal well,” she began, looking upward. Suddenly, she came to a pause. “Finn, draw the Master Sword.”

“Wah-?”

“Trust me. Can’t hurt, right?”

True. Finn reached behind him to draw the sword from it sheath. He held it out, gaping at it as a dim blue light emitted from the metal.

“Woah,” he breathed. “It’s never done that before.”

“I think I know why.” Rey pointed upwards.

He held the Master Sword up to where she was indicating and the light glowed against a faint etching in the ceiling. Taking a closer look, Finn saw that the etching was the crest of the Royal Family of Alderaan.

As if reacting to the Master Sword’s presence, the crest began to glow the same shade of blue. The duo gasped as they felt the ground shake beneath their feet.

“Now what?” Finn asked.

They stood back in shock as they watched the grate lower, vanishing into the ground.

This time, Rey said, “Woah.” And she inspected the new way into the temple. “I’m definitely sure this is where we’re supposed to go.”

“Me too.”

"Ready for an adventure?” she pressed.

Finn chuckled. “Not at all. I hate crawling through little holes.”

She rolled her eyes. “You’re telling that to the girl that squeezed into tight spaces for fifteen years to survive.” Then, Rey crouched down, strapping her quarterstaff to her back. “We really are going to have to crawl.” Patting through her bag, she huffed in frustration. “Got anything in that pack of yours that’ll give us light? I’m not sure the glow rods are enough.”

Thinking, Finn furrowed his brows before he waved around the Master Sword. “This?” The sword glowed faintly.

Rey stared at him in disbelief. “Really? You’re going to use an ancient, sacred artifact as a torch?”

“Got anything else?” he challenged as he held it out to her. “I think this sword has a mind of its own,” he mused.

“What do you mean?” 

“I mean, well, _look.”_

Staring at the sword in her grip, Finn noted how even though he was no longer wielding it himself, it still glowed.

“It’s like it knows we need its help.”

As if to prove Finn’s point, the sword glowed brighter until it illuminated the shadows around them.

This shocked Rey. “Huh,” she said. “I guess it does.” She looked into the open space that led to the temple. “I guess I’ll be leading, then?” This would be hard enough with her quarterstaff strapped against her.

Finn grinned. “Well, as you said, you are the expert of crawling into holes.”

In the netting, Beebee whined and tried to move to give Finn the hint that he wanted to be placed on the ground. He moved in front of Rey and the tiny glass orb under his bigger "eye" projected a beam of light.

Rey grunted something rude in a language Finn didn’t understand, but got on her hands and knees to crawl forward through the opening the grate revealed behind Beebee. Water had collected at the bottom of the well and it soaked through Rey’s canvas pants. The feeling of cold against her skin was unpleasant, and she wrinkled her nose, but she moved forward. When she was far enough in, Finn followed.

It probably was only a minute or two of crawling, but Rey was relieved when the tunnel opened up and she could stand upright again. From the deep breath Finn took, he thought the same. It was pitch black, and even Beebee's light couldn't cut through it.

“Alright,” he began, “if you were a map leading to an old sage, where would you be hiding?”

Rey blinked. “I don’t even know where here is.” She held the sword up, trying to illuminate the cavern, only to find she could only see a few feet in front of her. “Ugh! How are we supposed to find a map if we can’t even see what’s ahead?”

But Finn wasn’t listening to her as he stared down at her feet, looking puzzled. 

“Can I have the sword back?” he asked.

Almost as puzzled as he looked, Rey gave him the Master Sword. Finn studied the ground again, and then raised the sword aloft before he struck it down against a small stone. It glowed with the pattern of dots connected by thin lines, reminding Rey of traces of constellations.

When the sword contacted the ground, a thin, soft ringing sound chimed somewhere beyond them. The stone lit up, followed by another stone and then another. Soon, a path of these stones were illuminated, creating a pathway for them to follow.

Ahead of them was a lone, steel door. 

Finn looked to Rey. “I guess this is where we go?”

She shrugged. “Guess so.”

They approached and turned the knob, finding it was unlocked and easy to open. They stared inside the room beyond it and found it was empty. The only thing there was another door across the way. It was almost too dark to see even with the Master Sword lighting the way, but the walls looked like a mix of old, weathered, and moldy gray stone bricks with ancient dirt.

“This is a _temple?”_ Finn asked. “Like, people came _here_ to pray to a goddess?”

“Dunno,” Rey replied. “Maybe we’re in whatever’s left of it. We saw that shrine outside the well. People pray there.”

Recalling something, Finn turned to her. “What about the Sun Temple? You’ve been there before, haven’t you?”

“I have, but it’s not like this,” she explained. “It’s huge and well-lit. People visit it all the time.”

The door shut behind them, startling them out of their conversation. A chill ran up their spines. It was never a good sign when doors suddenly closed on their own.

Somewhere in the darkness, a chuckle rumbled through the room, echoing. “Children playing heroes,” a deep voice intoned. “It was foolish to come here.”

Then, the voice vanished, leaving not even an echo.

Shaking, Rey felt her lungs constrict with fear, making it hard to breathe. She fumbled her arm around until she found Finn’s hand and gripped it, discovering that he was trembling too.

The movement caught his attention, distracting him from the fear. “I thought you didn’t want me to take your hand?” he commented, recalling the day they met in Niima and were chased by some of Kylo’s men. He took Rey’s hand to try to lead her to safety, which she refused with annoyance. She could handle herself just fine, thank you very much.

Whatever the reason for her change of attitude, however, gripping Finn’s hand seemed to relieve their shaking. Rey took a deep breath, trying to calm her nerves.

“Well, I think we know Kylo’s been here,” she observed, trying to keep her mind off things, though the thought of coming face to face with the man that called himself the Conqueror might have been more terrifying. Finn's hand was warm in hers, however, and when she focused on that she felt a shimmer of hope in her heart.

She let Finn still hold her hand as they walked across the empty room and into another. Before they entered the room proper, Finn stopped and took a deep breath, like he was bracing himself. "I've got a bad feeling about this," he said.

A swarm of one-eyed bats – _keese,_ Finn recalled a soldier calling them – surrounded them the moment they stepped inside. He had no choice but to let go of Rey’s hand.

“Hit them as much as you can,” he told her. “If that’s not enough, I’ll come back to finish them off.” He swiped the Master Sword in an arch over his head. When the keese were hit, they would fly backwards, towards the ground, and explode into a poof of purple smoke.

They passed into a series of more rooms like this. Empty, with monsters appearing. Finn guessed this was an area for storage. He had no idea why a temple would need this many rooms this small.

Then, they finally came to another room, bigger than all the others, but almost just as empty. And this time, there was something in there besides monsters, but it was nothing either of them liked to see.

In the center of the room stood a wooden structure, two planks crossed over each other like a giant X. There were metal bindings attached to each arm of the structure.

The pit of Finn’s stomach sank. It probably hadn’t been used for a long time, but it was an old tool of torture.

What were people _doing_ in this temple?

Rey tugged at the back of his tunic urgently. “Finn,” she said, frightened.

He looked up and saw a strange, eerie apparition, a creature he had never seen before. Like a skeletal bird plucked of its feathers, the creature stared at them as it stood in a corner behind the device. It stared back at them, it's elongated, rotted beak tilting with its head.

Then, almost in a blink of an eye, it vanished.

Alarmed, the pair looked around the room, trying to figure out where it went or if the creature was just their imagination. A high pitch, crackling chuckle echoed around the room.

“Ah!” Finn cried out, alarmed. “Goddesses!”

Spinning around, Rey saw Finn grasping the skin on his side before she heard the harsh cackle again. She caught a glimpse of Beebee rolling quickly into a corner, as if trying to hide for safety.

“Did it… hit you?” she asked.

Finn pointed up, eyes wide. “Watch out!”

She saw the odd creature reappear just in time to get out of the way of its attacks. Rolling to the ground, Rey watched a dark ball of magic hit near where she had been standing and shatter. She knew magic, but had never seen anything like this.

Trying to strike at the creature with the Master Sword, Finn found he was swiping at nothing but thin air as it vanished again. Helpless, the Hero couldn't defeat the creature as he was. He needed help.

And who better to help but someone that knew magic herself?

“Finn,” she called out, hoping the creature wasn’t intelligent enough to understand them. “Can you keep it… occupied for a bit?”

He grunted as he dodged another attack of magic. “Uh… sure?”

“I have an idea,” she tried to reassure him. “I just need a moment to concentrate.”

As Finn ran around the room, waving his hands to keep the creature’s attention and dodging its attacks, Rey closed her eyes and concentrated on creating an attack to toss the creature off balance. She needed to keep it down long enough for Finn to strike it.

The air around her turned into a gust that would have been impossible if not for her abilities. It collected into an orb not unlike the dark magic of the creature, held together by her strength and will. When it was large enough for her to use, Rey checked to see where Finn was and anticipated the creature’s next move.

“Out of the way,” she warned him as she shot the gust of magic at their enemy. Timing himself just right, Finn was not affected and stayed out of reach of the strong blast of wind.

The creature, however, was. It wobbled as it lost its balance, falling to the ground with a cry of shock.

It was his chance, and he took it. Gripping the Master Sword in hand, Finn made the killing strike into the creature’s chest. It shrieked in pain before it shuddered, bursting into the dark magic that it used against them.

It left behind a silver key on the dirt floor.

Rey sunk to her knees, out of breath. She had used magic before multiple times, but never like this, quickly and urgently. The power she used left her exhausted.

“Are you all right?” Finn was at her side almost instantly. He reached out and placed a warm hand against her back. 

She nodded. “Just… winded.”

“I’ll say,” he grinned. “That was some gust.”

Grinding her teeth together, Rey grimaced. “Not. The. Time.”

“Okay, okay.” He held up his hands as if to surrender. “But that was amazing. I’m glad you’re here and I’m not down here in the dark alone.”

Her response was a smile, quiet and genuine.

Holding up the key, Finn inspected it. “Think I know where this goes,” he said as he went over to the door on the far end of the room that was closed off with a lock and chains. He inserted the key into the lock and turned it, removing the barrier.

Standing up, Rey brushed the dirt off her pants before she went over to Finn to join him. “That thing gave me an idea.”

“Oh?”

“We’ve seen keese and that… thing. What are the odds we’ll see more monsters?”

He seemed to understand what she was saying. “Likely.”

“Right, and if we need magic to stop them, we need to create a weapon to fight them with. I can’t keep having you stall so I can concentrate my magic.”

Finn winced. “No, that idea will eventually not work out for me. Do you have any ideas?”

“Well…” Rey began, shuffling through her bag. “Maybe.”

She pulled a couple of small square objects out and held them out to Finn. The little robot returned to their side and tilted his head as he watched Rey with curiosity.

“What are these?” Finn asked as he took a couple into his arms.

“Bombs,” she said in a matter-of-fact way.

Startled, he jumped and almost dropped them.

“No, no. They’re just shells.”

Finn heaved a sigh of relief.

“I was thinking I could add magic before I add the explosives,” she explained. “Then when we set them off, they create a wave of magic with them.”

He thought about it. “Might be worth a shot. Have you done it before?”

“Once.” Rey winced and Finn mirrored her. “I know I can do it again.”

* * *

The room behind the lock door was actually a tunnel… though the floor was missing in some spots.

“How can there be a bottomless pit in the middle of a temple?” Finn cried.

“I don’t know,” answered Rey, “but I already don’t like this.”

They looked around the room for something to help them. “How did Ren get around this?” Finn hummed to himself. “He had to be here himself.”

Rey lowered her voice and mumbled, “Probably had his minions make a bridge with their own bodies.”

That gave Finn an idea, though he wasn’t sure he wanted to let on either. Ren had magic, which had to help him out somewhere. He bent down and touched around the perimeter of the pit.

Then, his hand made contacted something, though he wasn’t sure what. He placed his hand against something solid but invisible to the eye, unable to press through it.

“What are you doing?” Rey gasped as Finn stood up with a grin and pressed his foot against the solid force.

He allowed his whole body to stand on the bridge, looking like he was hovering over it. “I think I just answered our Kylo Ren question.”

She stared down at his feet puzzled. “Dark magic,” she mumbled. “Strange magic. I wonder why I couldn’t see it?”

“Well, as long as it doesn’t vanish when we’re halfway across… Come here Beebee.” He scooped the droid up into his arms. Finn shuffled his feet forward, careful to not step too far ahead of him. 

Not too sure about the whole thing, Rey felt around for the bridge and staggered upward, trying to follow close behind Finn. They both took careful steps until they got to the other side.

“See?” Finn said as he set the robot down again, though he sounded relieved. “Easy.”

Coming to another door, they braced themselves for what was on the other side.

To both their horrors, the room was filled with a nest of red-eyed rats. Another door was across from them.

“Think we can sneak around?” Rey whispered.

They stepped quietly in, but the moment their feet touched the ground, the rats registered their presence and attacked. With her quarterstaff, Rey smacked them out of the way while Finn finished them off with the Master Sword. 

A clear _clink_ rang throughout the room as the last rat vanished in a puff of smoke, revealing a golden key in its place.

It took a couple of minutes to clear the room, but when all was quiet, the only thing they could hear was the sound of their heavy breathing.

“I really hope we’re at the end of this temple,” Finn commented as he picked the key up. He sighed. “Let’s get this over with.”

Rey glanced at the key curiously, turning it in her hands. “That’s not like the other keys.”

Taking a closer look, Finn realized she was right. “I’m really dreading what’s behind that door now.”

The moment they saw the empty room and heard the door lock behind them, Finn and Rey immediately became tense.

“Right, now I _really_ got a bad feeling about this,” said Finn.

“I would have never guessed,” Rey retorted.

In a burst of colorful light – the last thing they would have expected here – a strange creature suddenly appeared in the middle of the room. In just as colorful attire, purple and yellow clothes patterned with diamonds and decorated with bells, topped with a floppy, four-pointed hat, the creature grinned widely and unsettling.

On the defensive, Finn and Rey gripped their weapons, waiting to see what it would do.

Then, the creature twirled in its sport and vanished, almost reminding them of the grotesque creature they faced before.

They waited for a moment, bracing themselves for it to reappear, but the room remained silent and still. Puzzled, the duo looked around before looking at each other, mirroring confused expressions.

“What the-?”

Suddenly, the creature appeared behind them, giggling.

“Watch out!” yelled Rey as she got out of the way just in time. Hovering above them, their enemy shot out blasts of metal four-edged weapons that spun until it hit the ground, firmly planting themselves until they vanished into a puff of smoke.

Looking up, they realized that there were three of the creatures now.

“What is this?” asked Finn, alarmed.

More of the edged-weapons rained down from the ceiling, this time, triple the amount. Quickly thinking, Rey pulled one of the bombs out of her back, set it for detonation, and tossed it. In midair, it erupted into gusts of wind, aimed for the nearest creature.

Upon contact with the spell, it vanished and didn’t reappear.

“Finn, only one of them is the real one,” she told him. “It’s trying to trick us.”

“Can you get the other ones?” he called out. “It's just out of reach.”

She aimed at the next one that was near her, concentrating before she let loose another bomb. The gust hit it directly, then the creature screamed in pain and withered to the ground. 

Quickly, Finn rushed over and began to stab at it with the Master Sword. It shook with each strike until it pulled itself away and vanish, reappearing on the opposite side of the room.

“I think it’s going to be more than a one-hit kill,” said Finn. “How are you doing?” He turned to Rey. “I’m feeling kind of useless.”

Panting, Rey answered, “Just keep striking it when I bring it down.”

It was a repetitive pattern, Rey used her magic to knock down the creature and the many illusions it created. Finn used the Master Sword to strike at it. Once they had that pattern down, it was a lot easier than they thought it would be.

During the third cycle, however, the creature seemed to figure out what they were doing and opted to go after Rey and her quarterstaff. She tried to aim for it to knock it over again, but it vanished and reappeared behind her, grabbing her staff and trying to shake it out of her grip.

Rey yelled, catching Finn’s attention. He ran over to help.

“Can you reach him?” she asked.

He tried to strike from where he was standing but the creature was just too high still. “I barely just can’t reach it,” he said between his clenched teeth.

That seemed to give her an idea. With a sudden burst of strength, Rey tugged her quarterstaff down, catching the creature by surprise and dragging it down with the staff.

It was his opening.

With all his remaining energy, Finn slashed the creature, bringing it to the ground with a thud before he ran over and gave the final blow. The creature made a shrill cry before its head fell to the ground and didn’t move again. Another moment, and it burst into a cloud of smoke like all the other monsters.

Instead of a key, however, the monster dropped a strange black thing. From a distance, it looked like a tube.

Taking a closer look, the pair found that the tube was actually a black piece of paper rolled up and kept together by a blue string. Unrolling it, they found it was a strange map, marked with white chalk-like ink.

“I think it’s a star map,” said Rey. “But I can’t read it.”

Indeed, when Finn looked at it a second time, he realized it resembled that exactly. Problem was, he couldn’t read it and none of the constellations were familiar to him.

“I can’t read it either,” he added, sadly.

Rey rolled the map up and handed it to him to put into his bag. “Guess that means our next stop is to find someone who can.”

Rolling out from the corner where he hid, Beebee rolled up to the two and beeped to get their attention. 

“Oh, there you are, Beebee.” Finn smiled.

The invention wobbled on its base, then opened one of its compartments in the panels of its body. Sparkles flew out, collecting in a nearby area and creating a glowing circle in their place.

Beebee rolled over to it and beeped at them again, tilting his head.

“I guess he wants us to follow,” said Rey.

“Is this safe?” Finn asked, looking at the circle warily.

She shrugged. “It’s not dark magic. Can’t be any worse than what we’ve gone through.” Then she approached the circle. “Are you coming?”

He stepped in next to her and before they knew it, the magic of the circle flashed with blinding light. When their vision came back – though albeit a bit spotty – they were outside the entrance of the temple.

“Huh,” Finn started. “That’s handy.”

A voice started behind them, “That’s what my brother said the first time I got him out of a dark cave.”

Startled, Finn and Rey jumped to see who was nearby, only to find themselves in the presence of the Queen of Alderaan.

Finn stuttered, “Your Majesty” as he and Rey respectfully bowed to her (Rey’s curtsy was horrendous). 

Queen Leia smiled. “Good job, you two.” She held out her hands and rested one on the dome of Beebee’s head as he rolled over to her. “And good job bringing them back, Beebee.”

The robot beeped, sounding pleased.

“That was your magic?” Rey asked.

“It was,” said the queen. “I figured you may need help getting out at some point.”

Rey grinned. “Certainly saved us a lot of time.”

Not hesitating to change the subject, Queen Leia looked between the pair. “Did you find anything there?” she asked hopefully. 

Digging through his bag, Finn found the rolled up parchment and approached the queen, handing it over to her. “Just this and a bunch of monsters,” he admitted.

She opened it up and stared at the map for a moment, then set it in her lap as she looked around. “Where did that husband of mine vanish to this time?” she wondered out loud.

There was rustling in a group of overgrown bushes that led out of the clearing where the temple was to the forest. “Right here,” Han growled. “No thank you for making sure there weren’t any wolfos running around?”

“I heard you cooing to that old nag of yours,” Leia retorted. “Unless that wolfos you were looking for also happens to be named Falcon?” She arched her eyebrow.

“I was making sure she was safe where she was!”

“Come here and make yourself useful,” she ordered and handed him the parchment.

He glared at her as he unrolled it and glanced at it. “Looks like a map.”

“Thank you for that enlightening observation, Han,” Leia deadpanned. Rey laughed under her breath.

“Well _excuse me_, Your Majesty! I was going to say-" he snapped “-it’s incomplete.”

Finn felt his hopes drop and from Rey and Leia’s faces, they were experiencing the same feeling.

“Is there a way you could piece it together from maps in the archive?” the queen asked, there was a hint of desperation in her voice.

Han shrugged. “Maybe,” he said. “These star patterns aren’t familiar to me and there’s too much missing.” He ran his finger down an edge. “It’s been ripped in a few places too.”

That piqued Finn’s interest as an idea popped in his head. “I was thinking about this before, but if Luke visited the three temples before he vanished, wouldn’t there be a chance that he left a piece of the map in each one?”

“That’s exactly what I was thinking,” said Rey.

“Yes, the other two temples might have another piece.”The queen's eyes lit up, but just as she stared at the pair, they filled with guilt. “I hate to ask you to go. You’ve done so much for me already.” 

“It’s for the kingdom,” Finn said. “Kylo’s dangerous to everyone in it.”

The queen and her husband glanced at each other sadly before they gave their attention back to their young heroes. 

“We’ll never be able to truly express our gratitude,” Leia said.

Rey took her map out of her bag and spread it out on a nearby rock. The others surrounded her.

“I know the Sun Temple is here.” She pointed to the eastern desert on her map, in the region of Jakku and a few miles out of Niima. “But where it the Moon Temple?”

Tapping his finger on a spot on the map, Han replied, “Up on Mt. Mustafar,” he said. “It’s not an ideal place for a temple, but it’s been there for as long as the history books can recall.”

Finn’s eyes drifted across the map. “That’ll take days to get there on foot!” he exclaimed. It wasn’t as far of a journey like it was to Castle Town, but it was still far.

Waving his hand passively, Han added, “Take Falcon. She’ll get you there.”

“You’d let us take her again?” Rey’s eyes were wide.

Leia looked equally shocked. “Han, are you sure?”

“She’ll take care of you and I trust you’ll take care of her.” He looked at the pair pointedly. “And if you don’t-“

“-You’ll skin us alive,” Rey finished for him. “We know.”

* * *

The next day, Finn and Rey headed out on the back of Falcon with Beebee still with them. Poe was so impressed with his little invention that he was hoping the heroes would discover more of what he was capable of. 

“Think we can put up with each other for a little while longer?” Finn turned his head to ask her. They were planning on taking turns with the reins so the other could rest.

She looked out to the horizon where they could see the grassy flatlands out beyond them. “We’ll have to,” she said. “But I think it won’t be so hard.” Rey winked at him.

They looked out to the mountaintop in the distance and sighed simultaneously. Mt. Mustafar wasn’t known for being a hospitable environment.

“Ready to go find a temple in an active volcano?” she asked. From his place slung against the saddle, Beebee sounded his disdain.

“Doesn’t sound like we have much of a choice,” Finn laughed nervously as he cued Falcon into a walk.


End file.
